It’s the phone call from the plumber that every landlord dreads. It starts with the line:

“I’m really sorry to say…”

But I am going to have to royally fleece you for a wad of cash…although you may feel better about this situation if I were to tap you up for a bit more dosh and rather than the expensive repair I could do (which may in the end prove to be uneconomical – who knows how long it will last for…how long is a piece of string?), you can instead be the kind purchaser (although not user) of a brand-new spanking boiler.

I don’t know about you – but I love house names. Give me a Manor House over 6 Drudgeland Terrace any day!

And given how we love naming and labelling every part of our lives, it’s surprising not more houses don’t have their own names.

But house names – like people’s names (and pet’s names) are evocative. Names have meanings – and even if we don’t consciously mean to do it – we can’t help but conjure up different images for what a Penelope would look like vs. a Shanazza or a Wayne vs. a Quentin.

I’m mulling on this having been interviewed as an expert on blogging *cough*.

Vino in hand – Sam shares her blogging tips

Now I have to confess, I do not see myself as an expert. I am (as Wikipedia terms it) a hobbyist – that is: “Anyone who does an activity solely for fun”, otherwise known as an amateur from the French for “lover of”. (more…)

Caveat Emptor meaning ‘Let the buyer beware’ is a well-known phrase when it comes to buying property at auction. It’s not meant to scare people – it’s more of a cautionary note to do your homework before you bid and buy. That’s because when you bid on a property at auction – you are committing yourself to the purchase. If you’re the lucky bidder and the hammer has fallen, you’ve exchanged and bagged yourself a property at the hammer price. It’s that simple.